


The Mortal Matrix Problem

by softstarwars (lookatallthemoresigive)



Category: Star Wars (Marvel Comics), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra (Comics)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Captivity - Failed Escape/Rescue, F/F, Humor, Hurt/Comfort - Comforter is the One Who Hurt Them, Keeping the Enemy Close - Villain Offers Hero A Job, Light Angst, Undercover as Master/Slave
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-10
Updated: 2018-11-10
Packaged: 2019-08-21 01:13:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16566758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookatallthemoresigive/pseuds/softstarwars
Summary: A failed rescue mission forces Tolvan, Sana, and Aphra to once again team up. But after the events in Accresker Jail, can things ever go back to the way they were?





	The Mortal Matrix Problem

**Author's Note:**

  * For [halfeatenmoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfeatenmoon/gifts).



> Huge spoilers for Doctor Aphra #25. Currently canon compliant, but that'll probably change after this arc.

Former Captain-Inspector Magna Tolvan was on her third standard month of being prisoner to the very blight she swore to stomp out of the galaxy.

Her mentor, Inspector Thanoth, had warned her specifically what to do if she ever was captured. “Nobody likes a snoop,” he had said wryly. “Give them hell, but nothing else.”

He’d neglected to mention how boring capture could be. After two weeks of intense interrogation, she had spent most of her time sitting around. Which was why it was almost a relief when Sana Starros came storming into her jail cell.

“Is this the Rebel idea of a courtesy call?” Tolvan asked, lying up in her bed.

“Get up and get moving, you’re being transferred,” Starros said.

Tolvan swung her legs over and stood up, mostly to add a towering effect to her glare. “No,” she said, arms crossed.

“Look, they may be paying me to do grunt work, but they’re not paying to ask nicely,” Starros said, unholstering her blaster. “Get moving.”

Tolvan put her hands up slowly and nodded. Starros lowered her weapon, and Tolvan seized the opportunity, wrestling the blaster out of her grasp. “You are not Starros,” Tolvan said, pressing the blaster against Starros’ stomach. “Identify yourself.”

“I’m Sana Starros! Smuggler, bounty hunter, and the best damn pilot in the galaxy.”

“Wrong answer." Tolvan dug the blaster further into the intruder’s stomach. “The truth. Now.”

Starros sighed. “I really hoped we wouldn’t have to do this, or at least not until we got out of here.” She pulled at her tightly coiled curls, as if trying to pull them off her scalp. The hair transformed into a beautiful and disgusting technicolor tentacled creature.

Standing in Tolvan’s jail cell, looking older and more tired than the last time they’d seen each other, was Tolvan’s greatest fear.

Chelli Lona Aphra, ridiculous criminal, selfish monster, and the love of Tolvan’s life tried for her most winning smile. “Hello Sir, I’m here to rescue you.”

Her fist connected with Aphra’s jaw with a satisfying crack, but Aphra evaded her follow-up punch in time.

Tolvan remembered it so clearly.

“Ow! Granted, that was deserved, but we have a limited amount of time here—”

The pain, the betrayal, the dagger, the headiness of revenge. Holding her in her arms.

“I loved you!” Tolvan swung wildly, lunging at Aphra. Sloppy. “You forced me to think I killed you?!”

But it’s not the worst part.

“Well, technically, you volunteered.”

Tolvan kneed Aphra in the stomach, causing her to double over in pain. “I don’t know how I could ever think you cared about me. You’re scum.”

The worst part’s that, Tolvan’s dreamed about this.

“Hate to break up this heartwarming reunion ladies,” the real Sana Starros drawled, standing in the doorway. “But I figured it was time we all had a proper talk.”

 

* * *

 

“Aphra. You’re not dead. Congratulations,” Hera Syndulla said as they were shuffled into the interrogation room Tolvan had become well acquainted with.

“I can’t get it to stick. Something out there must like me,” Aphra said, shrugging.

“Can’t imagine who would,” Starros muttered.

“How did you escape Accresker Jail?” Syndulla asked, trying to steer this integration into more professional terrority. This pragmatism was part of the reason Tolvan had come to begrudgingly respect the Rebel general.

“I got kidnapped by Doctor Cornelius Evazan, a maniacal serial killer.”

“Do they only hand out degrees to the galaxy's biggest sociopaths?” Starros interrupted.

Syndulla glared, and motioned for Aphra to continue.

“I went on the run with a homicidal protocol droid, linked proximity bombs in our throats, cops, bounty hunters, an entire planet after us, explosions, it’s all kinda boring,” Aphra said cheerfully, waving her hand. “The important thing is that I got better, killed the serial killer and, Triple-Zero’s—, well, that’s a long story.”

“Fascinating,” Syndulla said, and Tolvan couldn’t quite tell if she was being sarcastic or not. “Since you happen to be gracing us with your presence, maybe you would like to share the decryption codes for Hivebase-1’s data core?”

“Would you believe me if I said I didn’t remember? Side effect of the Mairan used to interrogate me in the slammer. I really have no clue.”

“Assuming I believe that, which I of course absolutely do not, we currently have a more pressing issue that we could use your help with. Do this job for us, and the Alliance might consider negotiating with you for the codes.”

“Work for a bunch of self-righteous martyrs that are going to get the entire galaxy killed? Hard pass,” Aphra said.

“Oh, sorry, would you prefer we drop your ass off at Vader’s doorstep instead?” Starros said, leaning her hands down on a table. “Because that can be arranged.”

“The job actually requires the three of you, Sana. What about you, Captain?”

Tolvan scowled. “I’m sure I don’t really have a choice,” she said through clenched teeth.

Hera pressed a button and a hologram of a mountainous planet flickered to life. “Cagnek. An Outer Rim planet known for its six orbiting moons and nomadic native population.”

“What could the Rebellion possibly want with a backwater planet? Looking for real estate?” Aphra jeered.

“This _backwater_ planet is the source of the most powerful energy shields in the known galaxy - even more advanced than the Empire’s. All of the planet’s tribes are currently congregating to the third moon for a ritual that happens once every thirty years. We’ve gained intel that this is when they forge these shields that give them their edge. An edge that the Rebellion could sorely use.”

“So? Just buy it off them.”

“They’re known for being reclusive, and the recipe is a closely and jealously guarded secret. Normally, off worlders don’t even know about the ritual. Only their top warriors are allowed entrance. One of the clans that was supposed to go was unexpectedly waylaid, and the three of you shall pose as them.”

Syndulla handed them all datapads. “This contains all the information you’ll need to know about Cagnek culture and what we know about the ritual. Study it. It might just save your life.”

Aphra’s eyes lit up. “This is the best thing I’ve been blackmailed into doing in a while!”

 

* * *

 

Once they were settled on board the _Volt Cobra_ as comfortably as they could be, stuncuffs notwithstanding, Tolvan pulled up the briefing.

Paperwork. Finally something comforting and familiar.

The Rebels were detailed, she’d give them that, but they didn't have a fraction of the scope and reach of the Empire. Amateurs.

“You didn’t seem surprised,” Aphra said, so quietly Tolvan almost thought she imagined it. Aphra’s datapad lay on her lap, uncharacteristically untouched. “That I was alive.”

“If you’re worried about Vader finding out, there’s not a chance. The Mairan was quite convincing.”

“I know,” Aphra said miserably, hugging her knees. “I watched.”

Tolvan shook her head. “Of course you did,” she muttered. “It was Starros, actually. She didn’t buy it. Said you think life is one big game of Pazaak, and that you always have a +/- card up your sleeve.”

“You’re not a murderer, Sir. I’m sorry I ever even made you think that. I was just trying to make sure you were safe, and now I’ve got you further entangled with a bunch of doe-eyed guerrilla terrorists.”

“How did you even know _I_ was alive?”

“Just...had a feeling. Then I clawed my way across the galaxy, trying to find a hint of you. That’s one of the few good things I learned from Vader.”

“We’ve always had a body count,” Tolvan smiled, but it was mirthless.

“I just wanted you to know, I—”

“I am not here to soothe your guilty conscious, Aphra,” Tolvan snapped. “Now if you'll excuse me, I am trying to read this bricolage of a report.”

“Of course, Sir.”

They spent the rest of the flight to Cagnek in silence.

 

* * *

 

“Rise and shine ladies, we’ve landed,” Starros said, tossing two heavy backpacks down. “Hope you read the instruction manuals. And if either of you try to run I’ll call up a buckethead myself and leave an anonymous tip that you’re both alive. Hell, maybe I’ll call up a Moff.” She released their restraints. “Welcome to the Rebellion.”

“Yay,” Aphra said sarcastically as she rubbed at her wrists. “Finally! Igottapee.” She beelined for the fresher, and Tolvan pretended not to notice how familiar she was with the layout of the ship.

“She came back for you,” Starros said, arms crossed. “Probably searched the galaxy for you. She never—she wouldn’t, without a reason.”

“Guilt.” 

Starros snorted. “I didn’t know she could even feel that.”

“Maybe she’s evolving,” Tolvan said, rummaging through the backpack Starros handed her. She pulled out a suit of traditional green Cagnek armor.

“Be careful that whatever she evolves into doesn’t bite you in the ass. If there's one thing I learned from Aphra during our time together it's the power of a good distraction. When you least expect it is when she’ll fleece you.”

“Giving me advice? Don’t tell me you’re starting to warm up to me, Starros.”

“Never, Imp. Just something I wish someone had told me.” Starros pushed off the wall she had been leaning against and stalked off.

Tolvan was just finishing up adjusting the straps when Aphra walked back in, humming.

Aphra took one look at Tolvan and stopped in her tracks. “Hubba hubba. Sir, you put the fox in foxhole. Requesting permission to enter friendly lines.”

Tolvan stiffened, and looked down. “You’ve already done enough, Aphra. You don’t have to laugh at me.”

A gloved hand gently tilted her chin upwards. Tolvan averted her eyes and looked down at Aphra’s electro-tattoo.

“I called you cute, the first time we met.”

“I remember,” Tolvan said to the inked circuits. She also remembered slitting her throat, remembered her grief, even if the details of the false memory were starting to fade. Tolvan flexed her arm, feeling as if her matching wiring burned.

“I was wrong, you know. You’re beautiful.”

At that, Tolvan looked up into Aphra’s eyes. They were completely sincere.

Tolvan moved her head out of Aphra’s grasp and trudged off to the fresher.

 

* * *

 

Cagnek’s third moon was just as exciting as its other moons, which is to say, not at all. Even the bustling of ships and warriors couldn’t liven up the place.

“Y’know, this is probably Syndulla's idea of payback,” Aphra muttered as she tugged on her slave collar.

“Probably!” Starros said, smirking. “Now straighten up and herald our arrival.”

Aphra, unusually for her, compiled, and spoke to the nearest guard in the Cagnek language that she had picked up surprisingly fast. The guard looked over their official documents and nodded for them to continue inside the traditional grounds.

They found their designated campsite and set up their tents in short order.  As soon as they were finished, Aphra bolted off. Tolvan watched her buzz around, darting between campsites and getting underfoot. Even from a distance and in an obscure language, it was obvious she was doing her usual routine. She wondered if Aphra even listened to herself anymore, or if she was so accustomed to her own bullshit that she just tuned it out.

“She won’t disappear if you take your eyes off her,” Starros said without looking up. She was reclined on her pack, fiddling with a datapad. “Relax. The ritual will happen soon enough. You Imps love ceremonies.”

“And you Rebels love throwing sense out the window the moment some idealist bats their eyes at you,” Tolvan shot back.

“Well, I started off helping out just to annoy the Empire. It was fun. Then I realized how much of a difference I was making. You’ve ever given an entire planet hope, Captain? It’s an incredible feeling.”

“The only thing I see Rebels cause is chaos and despair. Only the Empire can provide the order and stability the galaxy desperately needs.”

The sound of footsteps interrupted their conversation, and Tolvan looked up to see Aphra thrown onto their campsite. Tolvan quickly adjusted the translator in her helmet while Starros put away the datapad.

 _“Your slave talks too much,”_ A tall Cagnek in red armor said, arms crossed. “ _Keep her out of our camp.”_

Tolvan nodded, and swiftly kicked Aphra in the backside, causing her to sprawl.

“ _We’re working on beating it out of her,_ ” Starros assured the man.

 _“I apologize, Masters. I won’t cause problems again,”_ Aphra said, struggling with her clunky armor to get up.

Satisfied, he marched back to his tribe.

“Get anything actually useful done?” Starros asked, standing up.

“The altar is highly secured and guarded by the priests. If we’re going to do this, it’ll have to be during the ceremony. Also, I planted some insurance, just in case.”

“So, we wait. Try not to blow our cover, or we'll have to use whatever surprise you cooked up,” Tolvan said.

“Of course, Master,” Aphra said, and smirked when Tolvan made a small choking noise.

“Oh Force, is this a _thing_ between you two? You know what, I don’t want to know,” Starros said as she threw up her hands and stalked off.

 

* * *

 

None of the reports mentioned how long the blasted ritual would take.

The Empire is quite fond of military parades and drills, so Tolvan’s used to standing at attention for hours, but Aphra clearly was not. She shifted her weight restlessly as the priests droned on. Tolvan indulged herself a small smile. Aphra wouldn’t have lasted a week at the Academy, though it’s not like their relationship needed to add actual fraternization to its list of crimes committed.

“Focus on keeping your circulation going. Scrunch up your toes from time to time,” Tolvan whispered to Aphra, and she nodded minutely.

“This is why I like my way better. Slightly more collateral damage,but there’s a lot less standing around,” Aphra whispered back.

“Well, next time you kidnap and blackmail me you can set the parameters of the mission.”

“Is that a promise?”

“No comment,” Tolvan said.

Aphra laughed loud enough for Starros to eye them warily.

Tolvan turned away and did a sweep of the assembled clans. It’d be easy to go unnoticed during the earlier commotion, but a couple hours in would give her a real sense of their fellow participants.

The Cagneks are about what she expected: a bunch of proud warriors that had never set foot outside their system. No wonder the Empire hadn’t even bothered to establish an authority out here, even with the threat their shields posed.

Wait. It’s hard to spot, but one of the other clan’s sloppy forms is familiar. Too familiar.

“Something’s wrong,” Tolvan said quietly into their private comm channel. “Those are Imperial agents.”

“Oh, sorry, did you just say that you spotted some Imps? On this rock?” Starros whispered harshly.

“Starros, how sure can you be that whoever gave you the intel didn’t also sell it to the Empire?”

“I can’t.”

Tolvan muttered a colorful string of expletives.

“Cheer up Sir,” Aphra said. “It could always be worse.”

The priests motioned, and the Imperial agents ascended the shrine.

“Never mind.”

“Aphra, that insurance? Use it.”

“Yay!” Aphra said, and pressed a trigger. The area around the dais exploded.

“Treachery!” A wounded priest shouted. The Imperials and the Cagneks drew their blasters, and started shooting at each other. Starros pulled out a couple of spare blaster pistols and tossed them to Aphra and Tolvan.

“Aphra, keep the fire off us! Imp, you’re with me. Let’s go get those blasted blueprints.”

“One distraction coming up! Hey, Definitely-Not-Undercover-Imperial-Agents, bet you can’t hit me!” Aphra shouted, firing at them.

They slowly made their way through the chaos towards the ruined stage, trading blaster bolts and dodging vibroblades. With their energy shields everything that hit the Cagneks seemed to mostly be absorbed. Thankfully the Cagneks were more interested in the Imperials than them.

Once they got closer, Tolvan could better see the Imperial strategy, and it was _appalling._ “You there! You call that a flanking maneuver? I call it a disgrace. You are completely in our field of fire. Sloppy.”

“You’re _helping them?!_ " Starros shouted as she shot indiscriminately. “Are you trying to get us killed? Because that’s usually her job!” She jerked her thumb carelessly in Aphra’s direction.

Tolvan’s heart stopped.

Aphra was currently being held at blasterpoint by what could only be the Imperial’s CO.

Without even realizing what she was doing, Tolvan ducked behind a nearby destroyed pillar and crawled towards them.

“—the hardware of an E-11 blaster rifle? It’s not always the most reliable,” Aphra was saying, and sometimes Tolvan wondered how someone that selfish could have such terrible self-preservation instincts. “The calculation system especially. Thing is, if you multiply a bunch of matrices together that are bigger than a 2x2, you can never guarantee that you’ll end up with a zero matrix. We can travel across galaxies, but we don’t know whether 3x3x3 will equal zero. In numbers, mortality is uncertain.” Aphra paused, and locked eyes with Tolvan. “But that’s only in numbers, and your time is up.”

The blaster bolt sizzled through his stomach before he could even fully turn around. Aphra stepped over the body and towards the altar.

“You’re welcome!” Tolvan called after her.

Aphra paused. She turned on her heels, ignoring the chaos of the battlefield and strode over to Tolvan.

Aphra stood up on her toes and gripped Tolvan’s shoulder to steady herself, and Tolvan’s hands automatically found her waist. She felt Aphra’s warmth breath against her metallic neck, as if trying to determine a target. Aphra settled on pressing her lips to Tolvan’s cheek, and then lingering. “Thank you,” Aphra whispered, and stepped out of Tolvan’s grasp.

Tolvan pressed a hand to her cheek, and watched her go off.

“You are an idiot, Tolvan,” she muttered to herself.

The sound of a blaster bolt too close for comfort made her dive for cover. It appeared the Cagneks had discovered the Imperials weren’t the only infiltrators. She shot back and slowly worked her way towards the shipyard.

She was almost to the _Volt Cobra_ when a force tackled her to the ground. Tolvan looked up to see Starros fire a shot to her would-be assistant’s center mass. He collapsed in a heap.

“Nice shot, Starros.”

“Don’t mention it, Imp.”

“Hey there ladies!” Aphra shouted, half of the planet on her tail as she ran towards them. “Heads up, Sana.” She unclipped a cylinder from her belt and threw it at Starros. The blueprints.

Starros doved and picked it up. “You just can’t go anywhere without making friends,” she said, dusting herself off.

Aphra turned around and lobbed a thermal detonator, which was enough to temporarily hinder the angry mob. “That’s me, I’m a people person.”

“Sorry about this, Aphra,” Starros said, leveling her blaster at her. “Orders are orders. You’re just too dangerous to let run around.”

Tolvan pistol-whipped her, and watched as she crumpled to the ground. “She’s probably right, you know.”

“Lectures later, escape now,” Aphra said, running towards the closest ship, an old Cagnek clunker. She sliced it open in a matter of seconds and flew up the boarding ramp. Tolvan ran after her, shooting at the few Cagneks that had managed to recover from Aphra’s distraction.

With the Cagneks and what was left of the Imperials firing at them, they jumped into hyperspace practically as soon as they left the ground. Tolvan clung onto the wall of the cargo hold as they made the jump, and when the ship no longer felt like it was spinning, she went to find Aphra in the cockpit.

“Looks like we haven’t been followed,” Tolvan said, relaxing slightly when she saw the Tarabba sector and no bogeys on their radar.

“Well, they probably should,” Aphra said, wearing a grin that had nearly gotten Tolvan executed.

“You gave her the fake blueprints.”

“Of course I gave her the fake,” Aphra said, slapping her pouch.

Tolvan smiled and shook her head. “That chaos was a good distraction, they should've known you'd— wait. Whenever you were alone with Starros, did she talk about us?”

“Yeah, it was pretty much the only thing we talked about. She was really enjoying having front row seats to this,” Aphra gestured between the two of them.

“Same with me,” Tolvan said, with dawning horror. “Do you happen to have the decrypt codes on you?”

“Of course, I'm pretty close to finalizing a buyer,” Aphra patted her pockets. “It's right…” She trailed off, frantically searching her clothes and swearing.

“This whole mission was all a ploy to unlock the data core. Even when she tried to kill you, she intentionally turned her back on me, so we’d escape and be so focused on running away, you wouldn’t even think to look for the codes.”

Aphra swore some more, then laughed. “Okay, even I have to admit I'm impressed. Besides, a personal energy shield could come in handy. And the schematics will fetch a nice price on the black market.”

Tolvan shook her head.

“Well, I guess this is as good a time for a segue as any,” Aphra said, and took off her cap, which transformed into the tentacled creature.

“Truly disgusting,” Tolvan said, holding her nose.

“I’m guessing they’re not going to come after us, which means you’re free. And with On-toh, you could do anything, be anyone. You could start a new life, even join the Academy again if you wanted to. The galaxy could use you.”

“I’m not letting that _thing_ anywhere near my head.”

“Hey, On-toh’s not that bad, once you get used to him!” Aphra protested, squishing the highly dangerous creature.

Tolvan rolled her eyes and sighed. “Aphra, why’d you come back for me?”

Aphra didn’t answer at first, instead putting On-toh back into her bag.

“Trip said that we’re the same. That the happiest I’ll ever be is when I’m killing, using people for my own ends.” Aphra said, mindlessly running a diagnostic check on their stolen junker. “He was wrong. The happiest I’ve ever been was those two days with you.”

Tolvan stared blankly at the planet they were orbiting.

They’d probably never last, even under the best of circumstances. And now, their future seemed ruled by chaos. 

“ _I_ _love you,”_ she had told Aphra the last time they’d seen each other. Or was it loved?

Tolvan doesn’t even know what tense to use now.

“Where am I dropping you off, Sir?” Aphra tried again.

It’s foolish, the thought of them.

Tolvan leaned down and braced a hand on Aphra's shoulder.

“Tsk. Sloppy,” Tolvan said before kissing her, slow and deliberate. The way they'd never had time for. 

Tasting Aphra's lips, the dueling memories didn't fade, but they lessened somewhat. And that was enough for her, Tolvan realized. In an uncertain galaxy, all that mattered was now.

She pulled away from Aphra, ignoring how Aphra, stunned, belatedly chased her lips, and slid into the copilot's chair.

“I'm sure the first thing you have planned is following some leads on important cultural armaments to steal.”

“Of course,” Aphra said, pulling up the star map. “But first, I figured some shore leave would be nice.”

“Shore leave does sound nice,” Tolvan agreed.

They smiled at each other, and Aphra punched in the coordinates, the stars of the backwater system blurring into the lines of hyperspace.

**Author's Note:**

> I had actually never read any of the new Marvel comics before this, but I'd passively kept updated on Aphra/Tolvan. I thought their dynamic was really interesting and that it'd be fun to write. When reading the series for research, I was blown away by how stellar it was! So thank you for the great tropes and for fully introducing me to such a fantastic character. I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> (Thank you Meagan for your help!)


End file.
